


Ordinary Guardian

by yepper



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Anime inspired, Bromance, Bullying, Character Development, Fantasy AU, Fluff, Friendship, Guardian - Freeform, M/M, Magic, Ordinary, Slow Burn, exceptional, i'll add tags as i go, magical au, stray kids au, tbh this is a mess, this is heavily inspired by a bunch of animes i've watched
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 18:42:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19362361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yepper/pseuds/yepper
Summary: In this world, most of the population gains a supernatural trait upon turning eight years old. However, there is a small percentage that are called the Ordinary, who never develop it. Felix is one of them. That wouldn’t be much of a problem, as everyday life for an Ordinary was very much available. Except, Felix did not want to live a life of an Ordinary.He wanted to be a Guardian.





	1. An Easy Target

**Author's Note:**

> 3k words on the first chap. not bad, not bad.  
> anyways, this is a mess  
> as you'll be able to tell, this is heavily inspired by a bunch of shounen anime i've watched  
> and also there's not enough adventure/fantasy fics out there  
> so here we are
> 
> tw: bullying, swearing, ANGST, generally unfun things (esp. for felix)

A loud sound of collision boomed through the hallway as a body came into contact with one of the lockers. The metal of the door felt cold against his thin material of his uniform, but that unpleasant sensation was the last thing on his mind, especially when there was a senior standing in front of him with a malicious look in his eyes. The guy had a twisted smile on his face; a look of cruelty that showed just how much he was enjoying this. Felix could tell that the show has only just begun, and that it would be a long one.

After all, Jisoon liked to play with his food.

“Been a long time comin’, yah maggot.” Jisoon spat, keeping their faces painstakingly inches apart, so his spit could spray over his victim. “‘Bout time someone put you in your place.”

Felix’s jaw clenched, but he remained silent. His eyes burned into the bully’s even though the stakes were stacked horribly against him. Jisoon never operated alone, which is why Felix was not able to get away from him. There were two guys on each side of him, shielding from any attempts to flee. At this point the only salvation would be for someone to step in and save him, but Felix had lived far too long to hold onto false hope. Not anymore.   


“Not talking, huh? Well, that’s fine. As long as I get to hear you scream.”   


A second later the taller boy grabbed the smaller’s arm and jerked it so hard against the locker the cracking of bones was heard. “And you know by now, I don’t hold back. I won’t stop,” the grip around his wrist tightened. “Until. I. Hear. You. Scream.”

That’s when Felix felt the taller boy start twisting his wrist and let out a grunt.   


“Look at you now, where is your little bodyguard, hm?”   


Now his other wrist was grabbed and given the same treatment. Felix grit his teeth, breath hitching and sweat starting to form on his temples. They both knew that all it would take for the torture to stop is for Felix to scream for forgiveness. Forgiveness for existing in a world that was overflowing with extraordinary power that didn’t spare any for him. But Felix, ever so stubborn, refused to give in to his demands every time, which lead him to multiple visits to the nurse’s office.

“Looks like he ran away from you, maggot.” he let out a laugh. “Prolly cause you’re such a weakling.”   


Jisoon’s other hand grabbed a tight grip of the boy’s ginger hair, yanking it harshly, sending shocks to the black roots that were starting to peek through.

Another small whimper escaped Felix’s lips, but he refused to make any other louder sound. Even as the guy in front of him was slowly starting to morph into a beast. His brown eyes were the first to change - shifting into something red and feral. His jaw grew out into something grotesque; a cross between a lizard and something extraterrestrial, not quite close to either, but both at the same time. Then the fists around his wrists became bulkier, sturdier, covered in green scales and webbed fingers. And lastly, the tail, a large and thick thing; fit to break anyone’s spine instantaneously, finished growing, it’s size almost sweeping the crew around him away. The guys jumped back and made noises of discontentment at the careless action of their leader. Jisoon seemed apathetic to their distaste since it was well-known that they would never go against him, despite horrid treatment he gave them.

The smile he gave Felix in his beast form was far more bloodthirsty than before.

“Let’s see how long it’ll take to get you screamin’ this time, maggot.”

Felix inhaled deeply, aligning his eyes with Jisoon, that same fire scorching behind them, refusing to be extinguished with fear.    


“Try me, punk.”   


His voice was many octaves lower, a timbre that would never be prescribed to someone of his stature.

And the arrogance in it sent Jisoon off the edge.

Low grunts and sounds of flesh being hit against the lockers echoed through the empty hall.

 

-

 

“We need to take him out of that school!” his mother’s voice bellowed through the house. Felix was in his room, lights turned off, but he could see the silhouette of his parents’ shadows moving in the crack under the door.

“I know that! But if we do, he won’t get  into college!”

“He doesn’t have to go to a specific college, he can go to any community college!”

“You know that’s not what he wants!”

“What he wants is nothing compared to his health!”

“He’ll heal quickly, the elixirs you make work wonders-”

“It’ll still happen again! It’s not like it’s going to stop, dear! He’s an  _ Ordinary _ .” There was an instant pause, as if the speaker poured buckets of ice water over the listener and herself with acknowledging the elephant in the room.   


“It will plague him for the rest of his life.” his mother’s voice continued, much softer this time, sadness prevalent.

Felix sighed, hitting his head against the headboard as guilt slowly crept up his throat. He knew the gravity of the situation must have been far more bitter for his parents to swallow than him. He could take a couple of beatings, it wasn’t anything new. But for his parents, so ambitious and accomplished, it must have hurt to see their only son being put at the bottom of the food chain for something completely out of his control.

He winced when he moved the comforter, pain shooting through his bandaged wrists, as he got out of bed and carefully limped over to the window. The moon greeted him with a silent hello. Or at least that’s what he liked to think. Felix was a bit of a romantic when it came to things like that.

“I look pretty bad, huh?” he joked, touching his face that sported a black eye and a busted lip. “Jisoon really didn’t go easy on me today.”

He moved closer and took a seat on the windowsill, gentle with his bad leg. “I didn’t scream though.” he admitted smugly. “Couldn’t let him have the last laugh, you know?”

Silence was the response to his comment though, and it made the temporary smile on his face vanish.   


Felix heard the distant sobbing coming from the other room where his parents were and looked up to the moon with a heavy heart.

“I miss Chan.”

 

-

 

Everyone is born Ordinary, that much is clear. It dates back in history books, it’s mentioned in New Year speeches, it’s taught in classrooms and it’s heavily reinforced in pop culture, music and reality tv shows. But once you reach the age of eight, you are supposed to develop a special power - a trait - that will set you apart from other people, thus making you unique and setting you on the path you were truly destined to be on. Those people were called Exceptionals.

“Question!” a small hand of Felix, age five, shot up in the air as his teacher stopped writing on the board to hear his query.

“Yes, Felix?” the teacher asked, before adding, “Please make sure to speak in full sentences next time, it’s impolite to just shout.”

“I’m sorry, teacher.” Felix apologized sheepishly, bowing his head a few times his arm falling to scratch the back of his neck.

“I was just wondering, where do the traits come from and what can you do with your trait after you get it?”

The teacher looked thoughtful as she closed the book in her hands and gazed over the class. “No one really knows. There are theories that they came from ancient gods that created our world and wanted to share their fruits of power with us normal folks. There is also a theory that the energy existing in this world chooses the ones it deems worthy.” She sighed a little, suddenly looking much older than her age, the bags under her eyes signifying a certain sadness. “Whoever adopts that mentality though, tends to lash out against the Ordinary, seeing them as inferior; an error of nature - something against the will of the gods that needs to be exterminated.”

Twenty pairs of innocent eyes blinked back at her in silence, making her shake her head before smiling again like she always did. “But you don’t have to worry about that. And I hope you never have to. Ordinaries are fairly rare.”

Felix stared at her for a while, not really understanding everything she said, but before he could ask what ‘exterminated’ or ‘inferior’ meant, the teacher continued.

“As for what you do with your trait, little Felix.” she said the sentence while looking at him with unending kindness, “Is all up to you. You can become a powerful CEO, you can open orphanages, you can become a prominent doctor, and you can also become a Guardian.” she said the matter of factly, raising her index finger to the side.

A kid next to him, Ricky, turned to Felix with stars in his eyes. “Isn’t your dad a Guardian, Felix?”

Felix beamed back at him while nodding his head. “Yeah, he is! He’s really cool! He can shoot lasers through his hands and protect people who are in need! I’m going to be just like him!”

The teacher smiled at the exchange. “To be a Guardian is quite the prestige, but not one that is achieved easily. It’s only given to those that truly want to protect humanity. Though, I’m sure if your father was able to do it, so will you, little Felix.”

The boy hummed agreement, all eyes around him shining in admiration and smiled cheekily. He was already beginning to wonder about what his trait would be. If it would be as cool and flashy as his dad’s or smart and demanded like his mom’s.

Though sadly, he could never have foreseen that there, in that classroom, was the last time Felix would truly feel the support of his classmates.

 

-

 

It turned out, Felix really did not need the words ‘exterminate’ or ‘inferior’ explained to him after all, as he got acquainted with those two terms very quickly once he turned eight and nothing changed.

“Mommy, mommy!” he jumped up and down impatiently after blowing out his candles. “I wanna know what makes me special, mommy!”

“Patience, my dear.” his mother cooed, trying to settle the overexcited boy back into his seat so she could start cutting the cake and feed the other twelve equally as crazy kids sitting at the table. “Sit down and have your cake. You should start to feel the changes soon.”

Except he didn’t.

He remembered the confusion on his parent’s faces, the visits to the doctor, countless X-Rays and other tests being run, his mom even using her connections as one of the top doctors in the country to get a specialist that could see people’s auras to check what was taking so long for him to show signs of his trait.   


His dad even tried to test out his skills by doing bootcamp, which eight year old Felix bombed tremendously. He was physically weak and unable to perform any sort of trait. And afterwards, feeling the soul-crushing guilt and disappointment, he swallowed the various flavoured elixirs his mom fed him that she stayed up all night concocting. All in the hopes that one would activate the trait within him.

Meanwhile, at school, his classmates were already showing off their traits: from levitating things to elongating their limbs to saying how they woke up and their hair had changed colour based on their mood.   


Gradually, months after their last hospital visit with the doctor saying that ‘maybe he’s just a late bloomer, there have been cases like that’ and his father nodding with hope and his mother looking skeptical, Felix’s inner fire to find out what made him special began to run out.   


At the same time, his classmates started to notice that Felix’s unchanged physical appearance; his eyes didn’t glow and muscles didn’t rapidly swell. There was no elemental wielding by his hands and his voice more or less stayed the same, albeit becoming deeper with puberty.

When you lived in a world where one of the first questions you asked someone when you first met them - apart from what year were they were born and what ice cream they liked - was what’s their trait, and the absence of the fact was quickly snuffed out, you really had no way to hide.   


It all happened slowly, but quickly at the same time. At first his friends believed that he was just a late bloomer, it could happen to anyone, plus how could he ever be an Ordinary; he was Lazer Palm’s son for god’s sake. However, after all of them started hitting double digits there really was no way around it, no way to conceal it. Even the latest of late bloomers had bloomed by then, and Felix was still stuck in a bud stage.

“Hey Felix!”   


He turned his face to the noise source only for his forehead to be hit with something hard that cracked and caused a slimy substance to leak down his nose. He quickly averted his gaze, pushing his lunch tray away from him as he shielded himself with his arms for the incoming numbers of eggs that his once friend, Jerry was using his trait to produce meanwhile the guy next to him, Cory, with his arm shaped like a bow was shooting them as ammunition.   


“How does it feel, huh? Being so useless?” Jerry yelled out between his egg making.

Felix didn’t respond, letting them continue their attack.   


“What a waste of resources.” Cory commented in between each shot. “I feel bad for your parents, though, they must be so disappointed.”

“Yeah,” Jerry chimed in gleefully, “It must be embarrassing for them to be related to you, a disabled loser in a family of achievers. Ha! What a joke.”

Felix could feel every word that came out of their mouths pierce through him like a thousand knives, causing more damage than the rotten smelly eggs.

Things only got worse from there.

Most days ended with Felix coming home sporting a new bruise on his body, having another rip in his shirt or another disgusting substance stuffed into his backpack. At some point his notebooks were taken and ripped to shreds and left on his desk, making it hard for him to catch up on study material. His parents got really worried, but he assured them that he was fine, all he needed was his mother’s quick-healing mango elixirs and a couple new books to be good as new.

That didn’t stop his parents from talking to the board of the school so the bullying could be dealt with, but all that did was cause more problems. Felix got called a snitch and teased even more. And on his way back from school, he got surrounded in the parking lot and pushed into the ground face down with the dirty sneakers of one of his more regular bullies, Ricky.   


Needless to say, his parents didn’t bother going to the board after that.   


Instead, they had him transfer schools.

 

-

 

In hindsight, switching schools really didn’t help Felix get away from the daily harassment. In fact, one could argue that it was amplified, given the people at his new school were far more intimidating than the ones at his last one. It was a higher tier school - meant for the best of the Exceptionals.

If there was anything his past had taught him, it was to keep calm and live under the radar as much as you can muster, like an Ordinary was supposed to. The less you drew attention to yourself - the better. Except that plan really wasn’t bulletproof, as word always travels fast.

“Hey, new kid.” Felix knew that the disgruntled voice was talking to him, but he refused to look at the direction it came from. Which turned out to be the wrong move because as soon as the caller realized he was being ignored Felix felt a hand fist into the collar of his shirt, yanking him along with it to face the speaker.   


“I was talking to you, maggot!” said the guy, about twice the size of Felix, both in height and muscle.

Now that he was up close and personal, Felix could see that he had squinty brown eyes, and his facial features resembled something reptilian. The guy did not look happy to see him, in fact, he looked menacing, his stare hostile and stance ready to strike.

“I heard you’re Lazer Palm’s kid. The traitless one.”

When Felix didn’t bother with a reply, a vein popped up on the guy’s temple. “Not talking, huh? Think you’re better than us ‘cause your daddy’s a Guardian?”

When his jabs were met with silence once again, he raised Felix up by his collar, so their stares met at eye level. “Looks like someone’s gotta teach you your place, maggot.”

The guy pulled back his free arm and formed fist, aiming it for Felix’s face and Felix closed his eyes, anticipating the hit. He didn’t even bother shielding his face anymore, after all, it wouldn’t accomplish much. This was how his life was now. He couldn’t fight back, he didn’t have the power to. He could never be unique. And no one would even bother to-

“I’d stop there if I were you, Jisoon.”

A new voice entered the conversation and Felix’s eyes shot open. The first thing Felix saw was a foreign hand on Jisoon’s arm, the one holding his collar, and his eyes trailed to the boy it belonged to. The first thing that jumped out at him was that the guy was smiling, and smiling in a way that was so laid-back and relaxed it made the scene feel peculiar. It was as if he wasn’t standing between an angry upperclassman and his prey, but just having a casual conversation with his classmates.   


Then it was his hair.   


It was green.   


Obviously dyed, but it still caught Felix by surprise. He never met anyone who dyed their hair that colour before. It contrasted so much with his black oversized tee underneath the undone school uniform shirt and jacket. And it made the boy’s skin look so pale.

“Mind your own business, Chan.” Jisoon spat out, trying to shake off Chan’s hand but the effort proved to be unsuccessful. It was as if his hand was glued on.

“I will if you start minding yours.” Chan said back sweetly, still smiling ever so friendly, his eyes as slits. “Let the kid go, he didn’t do a thing to you.”

Jisoon scoffed. “And what are you going to do if I don’t, huh? Broccoli head.”

With a shake of his head, Chan exhaled an exasperated sigh and let go of his arm. “Why can’t we all just be friends?” he voiced calmly.

Then, in the next split second Chan’s whole friendly demeanor changed. Jisoon barely had any time to react to Chan’s elbow coming in contact with his stomach. It was a swift and well-practiced movement, and it caused him to let go of Felix as he sank down to the ground in wails of pain.

The landing on the cold tile floor was not a pleasant one for his butt, and Felix was sure he would have to get acquainted with this school’s nurse to get an ice pack for it, but it was still better than being in the bully’s grip.

While getting back to his feet, Felix noticed all other students that were previously crowding around to watch him get beat up started to disperse with hushed whispers.   


“Fuck you!” Jisoon spat at Chan from where he was curled up on the floor. He wiggled, but could not do much else.   


“Stay in there for a bit, Jisoon. You need to cool off.” told him Chan, eyes glowing blue. “The barrier will wear off in a couple minutes.”

“God fucking dammit. When I get out of here you’re going to eat shi-”

“Try not to breathe too much. There’s not a lot of oxygen in there.” Chan advised sweetly and turned to Felix, who was looking at him in bewilderment.

“That was so cool.” he breathed out, glassy eyes staring at Chan as if he couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.

Chan whistled. “Wow, did not expect you to have that kind of voice, kid. How low can you make your voice go?”

Felix felt a small smile make its way onto his face. “Pretty low.”

Chan returned his smile with one of his own. “You should show me it sometime…er..”

“Felix.” the boy said with an outstretched hand. “I’m Felix.”

“Nice to meetcha, Felix. I’m Bang Chan. Or just Chan for short. Let’s be friends.”

Felix felt his heart soar through at his words.


	2. Careful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi adlkjafsdfa  
> so it took me forever to write the second chapter  
> but hopefully the length makes up for it~

They had planned to meet on the roof of the school, just like they always did. It was a safe little haven that Chan showed Felix during his first week in the new school. As the days flew by and word got around the school that Felix was not to be messed with unless you wanted to get on Chan’s bad side, things have quieted down since his arrival. People still talked behind their backs, but there was nothing that could be done about that.

Chan stood frozen in the doorway, his face a perfect picture of surprise. In his hands were the snacks and refreshments - and ice cream that was starting to melt - but his grip was slowly becoming weak due to his shock.

“You…”

Felix couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped at the older’s reaction. “You better close your mouth, Chan. Or you’ll catch flies.”

“What did you do? To your hair?” Chan asked, in between blinks as he took in the younger’s appearance.

“You like it?” Felix asked as he ran his fingers through the ginger highlights - a striking change to his previously dark locks. “I figured since you did it - I can do it too.”

It was bold. It was different. It was completely out of what Felix had usually done in the past.

Before he met Chan, his hair was the standard black color, he had never even had the thought to dye it, much less get highlights. Never in his wildest dreams. It would have only amplified the target on his back. As an Ordinary, you get hurt more if you stand out, and with his background that was something Felix could not afford to do in his past. But upon meeting the older boy with amazing skills and a protective heart that not only kept the bullies away, but also offered his friendship on top of that, Felix could feel something shift within himself. Something was changing, and he was hungry to express himself in more colors.

“It looks great Felix,” Chan said carefully, he stepped forward and handed one of the ice creams to the younger as he plopped himself down on the ground. “But are you going to be okay? People might pick on you even more now that you look different.”

“I’m not concerned about that.” Felix admitted after he joined him on the ground. He ripped the package and popped the creamsicle into his mouth. “They can do their worst, I’m not afraid.”

The older boy looked at him in silent amazement, because it was clear Felix was speaking the truth.

There was a certain stability the boy felt inside himself. He chalked it up to his friendship with Chan, because no matter what happened, he knew that he could always go to Chan. It didn’t even have anything to do with Chan protecting him, because Felix knew he couldn’t be there all the time to stop the harassment. But even then, he knew that this friendship was something precious. He finally had a confidant, someone who could listen, someone who could help. Someone who he could run to after and get patched up.

Chan set the rest of the snacks between them and got working on his own melting creamsicle. “Well, if that’s how it’s gonna be, I might as well teach you some self-defense. It’s not much, but it’ll help to at least minimize the damage when I’m not there.”

The youngster tore his eyes away from the sky where he was in deep thought and focused in on Chan. “Really? You’d do that? But don’t you have training after school?”

Chan shrugged. “Just stop by after school, I can spare a moment during breaks to teach you a few things.”

“Don’t you need to rest in-between?”

Again, Chan shrugged his shoulders. “It’s no problem. I’ll be resting my mind after using my trait, so I can afford to do some physical stuff in-between without tiring myself out too much.”

Felix looked at the ground, teeth chewing on the wooden stick of what was leftover from his ice cream. “Thank you, Chan.” He finally said as he looked up to meet the older boy’s eyes, “I mean it, I really appreciate this. You really don’t have to do this. I-”

He didn’t get to finish because a wave of emotion got caught in his throat when Chan patted his head with an easy smile.

“Of course. I’m not leaving you behind.”

 

-

 

Their school had something akin to a dojo where students could practice martial arts, exercise and develop their trait. It was on the south side of the school, farther away from the buildings and closer to nature. The road to get there was paved with rocks and had many twists and turns, so it was easy to get lost if you didn’t know where you were going.

Luckily for Felix, he had a map - a poor makeshift thing that Chan drew for him under two minutes, but a map nonetheless - to help him on his venture. And even though there were plenty of students that he could have run into, lady luck really favoured him that day and made his walk to Chan’s training spot uneventful, unless you count the moment he tripped over a tree root and dirtied his pants, but then again, Felix wasn’t known for being one of the most graceful in his stride.

Upon arriving to his destination, the first thing that hit Felix was how fresh and humid the air was, and it was no surprise, because he soon noticed it was because of the waterfall that was within the proximity of the dojo-like building Chan was supposedly training in.

With a nervous gulp, the boy hastily folded the map and stuffed it in the pocket of his  muddy trousers.

It was now or never.

He gripped his backpack straps tightly as he jogged to the door.

Upon pulling the door to the side, Felix immediately heard the sounds of fighting, exclaims and low grunts. They escalated when he stepped into the room. There must have been at least ten to fifteen people in different parts of the dojo all practicing individually. Some were kicking dummies, some were boxing, some were stretching or doing pushups and some were jumping rope. Then there were a few levitating things with their hands and shooting mini metal arrows from their fingers. Despite there being so many activities performed at the same time it all looked like a well-oiled machine, all of the cogs moving smoothly and seamlessly -- it was obvious that these people have been training there for a while.

When Felix spotted Chan he hurried over to him. The boy was covered in sweat and wearing a black tank with grey sweatpants. He looked out of breath and ready for a break.

“Chan!” Felix called out and saw the older stop what he was doing and look over at him with his eyes glowing blue. After a short blink they returned to their natural brown. Chan raised his hand in his standard friendly greeting, but before Felix could do the same in return he felt his leg hit something -- or more like something hit his leg -- and within the next second he was face planting the floor.

All the noises stopped in the dojo as whoever was training stopped and looked over at the curious boy on the ground. It was as if the record player stopped working. Nobody moved.

“No running with shoes on, brat.” Felix heard a voice cut through the silence beside him.

When Felix looked up he was met by two small furious dark eyes on a wrinkly face of an elderly man. He was bald, save for the short ponytail that was on the very top of his head, had a dark green robe on and was completely barefoot. He looked stern and wise, definitely not someone you wanted to mess with. His cane -- probably the culprit that made Felix fall in the first place -- was held tightly in his hand as he glowered at Felix from his position. Felix wondered what his trait was.

“Teacher Yoo, I’m sorry, he didn’t know the rules. It was my fault, I didn’t tell him.” Chan quickly butted in, taking the blame on himself as he bowed to the man.

Felix could only stare between the two of them, mouth agape. He had never seen Chan act like that with anyone before. With friends and strangers he was always friendly and warm, with bullies -- protective and ruthless and with the elderly charming. It became clear to Felix that whoever this man was, he held an important role in this dojo for Chan to react in that way.

He quickly got up and bowed alongside Chan as he sputtered out his own apologies.

“Don’t waste your breath on pointless words, brat. Go and fix your mistake instead.” muttered the old man after a moment of silence, pointing his cane to the doorway, where when Felix looked, he could clearly see a rack full of shoes. How he had missed that when he walked in he will never know.

“Right away, sir.” Felix squeaked out, maybe a little too loudly, but he couldn’t help it; his nerves were jumbled. It didn’t help that everyone was still staring.

As quickly as he could, he made his way to the doorway, his feet heavy and palms sweaty. He could feel everyone’s eyes burning into the back of his skull as he slipped off the shoes and stuffed them into an empty spot.

When he turned around, it seemed like everyone had resumed whatever they were doing before The old man had disappeared somewhere without a trace, it was almost as if he was never there, just a figment of Felix’s imagination. But the throb in his shin told him otherwise.

Chan was still standing motionless, his hands on the side of his body; hands in fists. He looked at Felix with apologetic eyes.

Felix waved it off with a smile as he approached him. “Don’t worry about it, Chan. It was my fault. I got too excited when I saw you.”

A small smile formed on Chan’s face, but his eyes still looked sorry. “I know, but I should’ve told you about the no shoe rule.” He paused, looking at Felix’s pants with concern. “What happened?”

Felix was about to open his mouth to assure him that it was really no problem; he just fell, when he saw someone come over from behind Chan.

“Well, I must say, you know how to make an entrance.” the guy, taller than Chan and definitely more tanned, said as he snaked his arm over Chan’s shoulders. He had a slim, yet still muscular figure with long legs, warm and mischievous eyes, full lips and a hook nose that pleasantly suited his features. His hair was also blonde and fluffy, making him look like a dandelion.

He tilted his head to Chan and smirked. “Is this the kid you told me about?”

Chan nodded. “Yeah. Bambam, this is Felix. Felix, Bambam. He’s my T.T. - trait trainer.”

“Nice to meet you.” Felix said, holding out his hand. Bambam grasped it, grip warm, but also far from gentle. Felix could feel the strength in his handshake, yet it wasn’t hand crushing, which he was thankful for.

“What a voice, man. And freckles, too, huh? How many boys and girls do you have fawning over you?” Bambam joked lightheartedly as he let go.

Felix felt himself blush, his cheeks felt like fire. “U-Uhm, none?” He really did not know how to answer that question.

Bambam quirked an eyebrow, smirk still present. “Really? That’s surprising. Maybe they’re just too shy to approach you.”

Felix smiled tightly, knowing that that was probably far from the truth. “Maybe.”

Thankfully, Chan caught his sudden shift in mood and quickly steered the topic in another direction. “Since Felix is here, can I take a ten minute break?”

“Of course, Channie. Have at it.” Bambam said lightheartedly, slapping the boy on the back softly. “I need to recharge, too.”

Chan thanked his trainer and led Felix away to the doors on the opposite side of the dojo. After he opened them, Felix could see that it led outside to a balcony with a view at the waterfall. It was pretty, cool and refreshing from all of the sweat and stuffiness of the room.

Once the door was shut and they were alone, Chan turned to Felix with a sheepish look while rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry about Bambam, he tends to say whatever enters his mind first. It can get a little too much sometimes. But he’s a good guy, I promise.”

Felix nodded. “It’s okay. And I could tell. He didn’t mean any harm with his words, it was just unexpected.”

Chan bit his lip. “I didn’t tell him you’re an Ordinary. I didn’t think it was my place to.”

“Oh.” Felix paused. “It’s okay if you’d had. I mean, he’d find out eventually anyway. But… thank you.” Felix smiled at Chan’s thoughtfulness. He had never had anyone think about the effects of telling people about him being traitless; all the dangers that it ensued. It was nice to hear the older’s consideration, especially when it came to people’s attitudes changing so quickly after hearing that one little word. You never knew who was on your side until you showed them your vulnerability.

“Right, well.” Chan cleared his throat. “Shall we start?”

“Let’s.” Felix let his bag hit the floor with a thud.

“Okay, so first thing’s first.” Chan said as he walked to the middle of the balcony with Felix following him. “When you are in a fight, you need to conserve as much energy as possible.”

“How can I do that when I also need to use it to fight?” Felix questioned.

“By being careful. It’s much easier for your opponent to overpower you if you overexert yourself from the get-go. Every move matters, so try to think ahead about what you need to use and when, so as to not get carried away and exhaust yourself.”

“Gotcha.” Felix said with a nod. “Wait, hold on, lemme grab my notebook so I can write this all down.”

Chan nodded as the youngster fished out one of his school notebooks and a pencil from his bag before sitting crossed legged in front of him.

“Next,” Chan paused before continuing. “Remember, no matter who they are, Exceptional or Ordinary, _everyone_ has weak spots, I call them ‘hot zones’. They are what you aim at first because they will distract the opponent momentarily, if not completely immobilize them if you’re lucky.”

Chan then pointed at his eyes. “First one is eyes. They are our main source of information in a fight. If you do as little as poke them, the other person’s vision gets disoriented, which will give you an advantage.”

He moved his finger lower. “Next is the nose. It’s very fragile. Everyone acts all high and mighty, but once their nose gets hit the only thing that worries them in that moment is if it’s broken or not. That panic can also work in your favor.”

Felix nodded, signaling Chan that he was listening as he scribbled down the information.

“After that there are the ears. If you hit them hard enough it could not only stun the opponent, but also make them dizzy.”

“What about loud noises?”

“They can also help, but don’t rely solely on them.”

“Good to know.”

“After the ears we have the neck. It’s one of the most sensitive parts of the body. If you can land a hit in the middle of it, especially on the adam’s apple, you can make them choke and momentarily weaken their defenses. Still with me?”

Felix nodded eagerly, not looking up from his notes.

“Okay. Three zones left.” Chan said holding up three fingers.

“The last three are all connected, and located on the lower parts of the body,” he said slapping his thighs, “The legs, the knees and the groin. The shins can get super painful if attacked, a hit in the knee can easily make the person topple over and, well, I don’t think I need to elaborate on the groin part.” Chan grinned before clapping his hands together. “Now, apart from those weak spots, everyone also has something I like to call ‘built in weapons' that we can use even when we don’t actually have any weapons on us.”

Felix’s eyes widened, a twinkling inside them.

“They are: elbows, knees and head. The toughest bones in our body - and with enough strength can overpower those bigger than us.”

“What about fists?” Felix asked raising his head from his messy handwriting.

Chan visibly winced. “They can land a fair amount of damage too, but there is also a risk of breaking your knuckles or breaking skin. It would wound you in the process.” he paused before tapping his palm. “If you really need to use your hands, use the bottom part of your hand, it can land some serious damage without the nasty repercussions.”

Felix nodded as he noted it down.

“Now,” Chan said motioning Felix to stand up. “Let’s see what you got. You may be able to understand all of the terms, but it’s useless if you can’t apply them. So let’s see what you can-”

Suddenly the door opened behind him and Felix turned to see Bambam’s crazy blonde locks peaking through the door. “Time’s up, Channie.” the older boy sang out. “We gotta continue before the old man hits me for slacking off.”

Chan looked apologetic for what seemed the twentieth time that day. “Darn it. Okay. Felix, hang tight. I should be free again in twenty minutes.”

“I got an idea.” Bambam said, hints of playfulness behind his eyes. “How about we have ‘Lix here watch the practice? I don’t know what his trait is, but it could be useful to him in the future.”

Chan and Felix exchanged a look, Chan suddenly looking alarmed, and Felix looking perplexed before shrugging. “Sure, why not? I’d like to see Chan’s trait more in action too.”

“Oh? You’ve seen him use it already?”

“Yeah, he can create barriers with his eyes. I saw it when he saved me from the bullies at school.”

Bambam raised an eyebrow, but didn’t ask more on the subject. “Alright then, c’mon. You’ll get to see more of what Chan can do.”

Chan looked visibly nervous as he followed Bambam inside, and Felix was left to wonder as to why.

 

-

 

The whole activity in the dojo came to a halt as Bambam and Chan resumed their spot in the middle. The air seemed to change from that of a practice room, to a moment of anticipation - it was as if a grand show was starting and everyone held their breath at what would happen next.

Felix observed the onlookers around him as he sat propped against the wall, far enough from the scene, but with a good enough view.

It was just a practice fight, right? Why did it feel so tense?

“Ready, Channie?” Bambam called out from his side of the mat.

Chan swallowed, fists clenching. “Ready.” He said with a firm nod, eyes focused.

And then Bambam’s eyes started to glow green. A neon sheet formed around his fists and lower arms, up to the elbows, the same on his knees and feet, like a protection barrier; an armour. “Let’s begin, then.” He said with a tilt of his head.

Felix held his breath. It was as if Bambam transformed into another person with his trait. He looked like he had countless battles up his sleeve, and Felix momentarily wondered just how long the man had been a trainer.

Chan’s eyes erupted in blue, lips thinning. He took a step back as Bambam advanced, arms covering his chest, with such speed that all that Felix saw was a blur. Then, Chan maneuvered away from Bambam’s first attack, even with the speed the older charged at him.

A shiver went down Felix’s spine. Was this the power of the Exceptionals? Was this what awaited him if he decided to become a-

“Those kids always like to dance around.” He heard a grumpy voice state next to him and he turned to see the old man from before, Teacher Yoo, propped on a pillow with a cup of tea in his hands. His facial expression was sour as he stared at the two fighting - Chan mostly using his physical abilities, even with his trait activated and ready for use.

Felix swallowed, throat suddenly dry. The energy the man emitted was calm, but strong all the same. There was a power asleep beneath that exterior. His shin still throbbed slightly when he looked at the man’s cane.

“Is dancing around bad?” He heard himself ask before he could stop himself.

The small, beady eyes glanced at him and the old man took a sip of his tea. “Sometimes it’s necessary.” He stated as he looked at Chan attempting to land a hit on Bambam and the other avoiding it with ease. “But it makes the fight much longer than it needs to be,” he blinked, “And it lessens the chance of victory if the enemy can invoke an emotional response.”

Felix tore his eyes away from the man to see that Bambam now had Chan captured by his neck, the younger’s legs hanging just above ground from where he held him up.

“C’mon, Channie.” Bambam taunted, eyes aglow as Chan struggled in his grip. “You have the power. Why don’t you use it?”

Felix was thinking the same thing. Chan was one of the most powerful students in his school. People quivered when he passed them in the hallway (despite his friendly demeanor), the bullies avoided Felix whenever he was around. So, why didn’t he use his trait now? All he had to do was put a barrier around Bambam… What was holding him back?

Chan’s eyes momentarily met Felix’s and Felix felt something cold run down his back.

It couldn’t be...because of him?

Chan broke eye contact with a choke as the grip around his neck became tighter.

Bambam’s eyes narrowed. “Chan. If you’re going to hold back like this in an actual fight - you’ll die.”

At those words the whole room, previously drowning in murmurs, fell silent. Teacher Yoo sipped his tea.

Felix felt his heart beat against his chest cavity.

Why won’t he just fight, dammit?

Chan’s eyebrows furrowed, like he was in an internal battle with himself, then he raised a shaking hand and placed it on Bambam’s arm - the one holding him up. He still seemed hesitant, his teeth biting into his lower lip.

“ _Fight_ , Chan.” Felix said in desperation, voice so low and pronounced it bounced off the walls.

And then a blue light emitted from Chan’s palm as it wrapped around like a layer around Bambam’s forearm, breaking through his neon armour.

Bambam cursed and let go of Chan, who dropped to the ground on his knees. The remains of Bambam’s broken protective gear got sucked up into Chan’s glowing hand.

There was sweat on the trainer’s temples and neck as he breathed heavily, green eyes scanning Chan.

“Good. Now, get up. Why are you on the ground? You’re the one who drained me - you should be the one with the energy.”

Felix’s eyes widened.

Chan looked guilty as he stood back up. “You know I hate using it.” He voiced quietly.

Bambam leveled him with a cold stare. “That won’t matter in a fight. No one cares what you like or hate.” Then after a breath he restored the neon sheet of protection over his arm. “Fight with your trait, Chan. If you don’t, you’ll die.”

Felix swallowed and turned to the old man, who was eyeing him with a stony expression.

“Why doesn’t he use his trait?” Felix asked the man, voice quiet, shaky.

The old man blinked silently and turned back to the fight below. It looked just about over, Bambam was towering over Chan, foot over his chest, one of his neon barriers wrapped around the younger’s neck like a shackle to hold him to the ground.

Felix’s heart jumped into his throat. He was fearing the hunch that was crawling at the back of his mind.

Bambam’s eyes met Felix’s for a moment and the older gave out a sigh before turning to Chan. “Looks like I’m going to have to make you fight.”

Chan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he caught on to what his trainer was about to do.

“Wait, Bam-”

But before he could step in, Bambam sent one of his protective gears flying to wrap around Felix’s neck, cuffing him to the wall.

Felix choked, the back of his head hitting the solid concrete and clawed at the thing around his neck, but it was useless - it was like a second skin. Sturdy, strong and unrelenting. He couldn’t get a grasp on it, he couldn’t scratch through it - it was glued on to him.

He heard a strangled scream and then a blue light erupted on the mat. After it dissipated, Chan stood there breathing heavy, eyes ablaze with blue, palms of his hands glowing and sucking his opponent’s armour off him.

Bambam smiled, despite the fact his neon protection was being ripped away from his very skin. “Finally. Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Felix was still struggling with his shackle around his neck, but he could clearly see the smug look on Bambam’s face and the raw desperation and rage on Chan’s.

Chan leveled his stance and launched at Bambam before the older had a chance to react and encapsulated him in a light blue barrier, just like he did with Jisoon.

“Stop.” the old man’s voice boomed throughout the room. “Chan wins.”

The barrier around Felix’s neck disappeared and he wrapped his hands around his throat, coughing, body shaking. He stared at the scene on the mat.

A glowing Chan looking solemn over at Bambam, who was kneeling in a barrier with a grin. It was hard to tell who the real victor was, as Chan looked like he had his whole world torn away from him and Bambam looked like he achieved something big.

With stumbling feet Felix quickly ran out of the dojo, out into the calming scenery of the forest and the nearby waterfall, away from the fight. Away from it all so he could process what had just happened.

His heart was still beating hard in chest.

Chan had an energy trait.

 

-

 

“Happy eighth birthday to my most precious ray of sunshine!” his mom exclaimed as she handed a prettily wrapped present to her son.

“Thank you, mama!” Chan’s eyes shined brighter than the stars as he stopped playing with his trucks to look over the decorated box. It was blue with white polka dots, the ribbon gold.

“What is it?” he asked, bringing it closer to his ear and shaking it gently.

“Open it up, sunshine.”

And so he did. He untied the ribbon, letting it fall away before he tore through the wrapping paper.

He opened the box and his eyebrows furrowed before he took out a heavy, leather bound book.

“The Classification of Traits and Their Power.” he read out gently. “What is it about, mama?”

The woman pulled him into a hug. “Isn’t it lovely, dearie? It’s a dictionary for every trait that is known to man. Ours being the very best and the very strongest, of course.”

“The energy trait?” the little boy asked, eyes suddenly dimming.

Her eyes sparkled, a smile stretched out almost inhumanely on her face. “Yes, sunshine. Now remember what I always say: God of Energy chose to bless us with-”

“Our energy traits because we are the chosen few.” Chan finished her phrase with a smile, but his eyes were hollow. “Others should be careful of us, especially Ordinaries, for we can take away their life.”

“Yes, that’s right.” He received a pet on his head, but his eyes remained staring into space.

“You’re such a smart boy. You’re going to make a wonderful Guardian.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i say there would be angst?  
> or thriller aspects?  
> no?  
> soz  
> hopefully the time skips make sense... i still have a few of them to do before we can move forward.  
> gotta set the foundation y'know?  
> next chap is all about chan's past, n some other stuff  
> lmk what u think pls im worried it doesn't make sense


End file.
